On Monday, March 9, 2026, detectives with the New Castle County Division of Police, along with deputies from the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the 800 block of Elk Mills Road in Cecil County, Maryland, regarding the location of wanted subject Richard Kirchner.

The investigation into Kirchner began in January 2026, when officers from the New Castle County Division of Police responded to the Pepper Ridge community about a contractor wanted in multiple home-improvement fraud cases.

Following his arrest, Kirchner was transported to the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, where he is awaiting extradition back to Delaware.

Please refer to the link below for additional information regarding that incident:

(Middletown, DE 19709) On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at approximately 6:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to the unit block of Fairview Avenue in the Fairview Farms neighborhood for a reported burglary. Upon arrival, officers observed suspicious footprints around the residence that led to a forced entry into the home. The victim also reported that several valuable items were missing from inside the residence.

On Friday, February 28, 2026, at approximately 11:10 a.m., officers were dispatched to another residence in the unit block of Fairview Avenue for a reported attempted burglary. Fortunately, the suspect did not enter the home and fled the area immediately.

Due to the similarities between the incidents, Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Unit were notified and assumed responsibility for the investigation.

Through a thorough investigation, Detectives identified and linked 35-year-old Eric Skipski of Middletown as the suspect in both incidents. As the investigation continued, Detectives located and recovered some of the stolen property at a local pawn shop.

On Thursday, March 5, 2026, officers located Eric Skipski at his residence on Fairview Avenue. He was taken into custody and transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters, where he was charged with the following offenses:

• One felony count of Burglary in the Second Degree
• One felony count of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree
• One felony count of Selling Stolen Property
• Two misdemeanor counts of Criminal Mischief over $1,000
• One misdemeanor count of Theft Under $1,500

Eric Skipski was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $23,200.00 secured bail.

Eric Skipski – 35